McCalls 6461 – A sea life cardigan

What could be better than marine creatures all over a cardigan! I fell for this cotton knit fabric the moment I saw it on Girl Charlee, way back in May, and I grabbed both prints in this colorway. I was lucky – the Sea Life print is gone, and only a few yards remain of the Hideway Flowers.

100% cotton, 8.5 oz, 58″ wide, 20% stretch 

Girl Charlee’s description: From designer clothing line Fresh Produce comes this high quality garment dyed botanical floral print cotton jersey knit…Fabric is pre-shrunk, soft, …medium weight with a small stretch. 

It really is pretty beefy and is very similar to lightweight French terry knit. Cute, right?

So, back to the cardigan, one of my favorite patterns of all time, McCalls 6461. This is the 5th time I’ve sewn a variation of View C, and bad on me, I’ve never written about it.

Sad part – it’s out of print, but I see it on Ebay and Etsy from time to time.

The pattern is simple: cut-on sleeves and a hemmed neckline. I’ve always squared off the front edges, which makes it even easier to sew. For this version, rather than hem the neckline, I decided to attach a 1″ wide neckband.

Notes on the neckband:

• I trimmed 5/8″ off the neckline all the way around, and reshaped the back neckline to be a little concave.
• I have very square/level shoulders, so I also adjusted the fit before I added the neckband.
• I cut a 4″ wide neckband with the grainline along the length of the band, not across it. And folded it in half, wrong sides together, and serged it to the neckline.
• Suggestion: if you piece a neckband, use a diagonal seam to reduce bulk and ‘hide’ the seam.

• Other changes for this version: I added 2″ to the length and used 3/4 length sleeves.

More pics!

Leggings: Love Notions Sabrina Slims in cotton/lycra jersey.

Here’s a pic of version I sewed in 2014 and still enjoy wearing. It’s a very light and stretchy tri-blend cotton jersey, so I simply hemmed the neckline.

And a muslin I did recently, using View B. I’m thinking it would make a great shrug to wear over sleeveless dresses. Ignore the fabric please – it’s French terry and is way too heavy for the bottom curve.

I’m so pleased with this cardigan and with the success of the neckband 🙂

Ciao! Coco

 

Quilted eyeglass cases…

The holidays are right around the corner…time to get busy on handmade gifts!

But first – thank you for all the nice comments wishing me a speedy recovery. So appreciated, and I’m doing great now. You guys are the absolute best.

These quilted eyeglass cases are perfect for readers and sunglasses – the ones that get lost on the bottom of a handbag. I used to make them back when Ashley and I sold handmade fabric and mixed media items at charity craft fairs. We even had a moniker and logo: Back Alley Five & Dime (because most of our items were $1, $5, or $10).

The case is basically a small drawstring pouch, with a quilted shell and plain lining.

Inside of shell, showing fused fleece, quilting and curved bottom.

Lining, showing 1.5″ circle template to draw bottom curves.

A chop stick works great to push the shell into the lining!

Turning the assembled case through the side of the lining.

Turned case, nice and pressed.

Once the lining is pushed back inside the shell, I topstitch the case 1/2″ from the top edge, forming the casing for the drawstring.

The drawstring goes in, the cord lock goes on, and, voila, done!

Materials and so on:

• Finished size 3.5″ x 7″.
• 1/2″ seam allowance.
• Shell, lining, and fusible fleece or low-loft batting: Cut 1 of each, 17″ x 4.5″ (or 2 pieces, 8.5″ x 4.5″, if using smaller scraps). I prefer the fusible fleece over batting, because it makes the case a little stiffer.
• Drawstring: Cut 1, 14″ long  x 2mm or 3mm. I like faux leather or waxed cotton cord, found in the jewelry making section of craft stores.
• 1 medium cord lock. There are loads of sources online, and JoAnns carries these as well.

So, I’m thinking I’ll make some more little things to match, maybe card wallets. These are perfect to tuck into a clutch or wristlet, where a wallet just doesn’t fit.  Actually, I use mine to hold my Coco’s Loft cards, just in case someone asks for one (or I want to force one on people!) There are loads of DIY card wallet ideas on Pinterest.

I love the holiday season! Bye for now – Coco

After the fall…the way back

Doing  better after falling a couple weeks ago! And showing the ‘good’ side of my face. The other side and the back of my left hand are still bandaged. But…it takes time.

A small post, but just look at that cute Charlie Caftan. I was totally inspired by Sue at ‘A Colourful Canvas’. Her pink plaid Charlie, posted way back in June, just gripped my heart… I spent hours online looking for a pink plaid fabric.

And I found it at Fabric Mart, mine is a cotton plaid jacquard shirting. Serendipitous. This pic is from ages ago, because I never did take a full set of pics of this version of the Charlie Caftan. My bad, but I have so many versions now.  I just love the pattern.

A link here…

I’m feeling better, and I’ve started sewing again. I’m working on a long cardigan, based on McCalls 6461. On Emile…

Fabric: Fresh Produce Sea Life Charcoal Black Cotton Jersey Knit  from Girl Charlee

And a pic of my lovely view, calm and peaceful, from the porch.

Bye for now – Coco

Oops – slip and fall

 Just a quick note  – about a week ago, I slipped in my driveway and took a hard fall. Knocked me out! Nothing broken, just sprains, bruises, cuts, and  abrasions. I was really lucky.

I still have a bit of healing to do, and then I’ll be back 🙂 Coco

 

You gotta get up, early in the morning…

I woke up at 5:00 a.m. with ‘Early in the Morning’, by The Gap Band, rolling through my head. They’re one of my favorite groups from the 80’s – here’s a link to a YouTube version, if you want to sing along!

First business, thank you all so much for the support, prayers, and thoughts, not just for me, but for everyone facing Hurricane Irma this weekend. What nice friends you are. It’s a special moment – I’ve heard from so many of you who live in Florida, have family and/or friends in Florida, have weathered similar challenges, or simply care enough to drop a line. Again, thank you.

Sewing! it has been a wonderful diversion. I decided to fall back on familiar and comfy, and McCalls 6747 Classic Henley Dress is perfect. I’ve sewn it so much that I had to buy a new copy of the pattern this summer (some earlier versions here).

I also had some favorite cotton/lycra knit fabric on hand. I like this fabric/print so much that I’ve ordered it 3 times from Girl Charlee. As I write, it’s still available.

 

I don’t usually have a plant shop in the living room. But I had to move everything off the porch, which gives me a new backdrop for pics.

What’s missing here is the cup of coffee just out of view. I actually put on makeup and combed my hair, but I do look sleepy. Or tired.

There have been moments of levity! Someone asked about one of my notes on my previous post, ‘move the alligator’. Yes, I really do have one, but it’s concrete 🙂

I also had a very indignant toad, who got tossed with the water when I moved the bird toad bath.

The wind is up, and we’re getting a lot of rain. Parts of Miami have already lost power. Wow. Here I am, my sanguine pose 🙂

Thinking of so many things and people – be safe, be well.

Bye for now – Coco